Schatz calls for minimum seat sizes on airplanes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rows of slimline seats await installation aboard a Southwest Airlines 737 at the carrier’s headquarters in Dallas in Sept. 2013. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is co-sponsoring a bill to require the Federal Aviation Administration to set minimum seat sizes on airplanes.
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is co-sponsoring a bill to require the Federal Aviation Administration to set minimum seat sizes on airplanes.
The Senate bill calls for standards that ensure safety and a minimum level of comfort for passengers. It addresses seat width, legroom, padding and aisle width on all commercial passenger planes.
Critics say passengers would rather have cheaper airfares than more legroom. They say airlines already offer larger spaces for passengers who are willing to pay.
Schatz said Thursday that legroom on airplanes has decreased from 35 inches to about 31 inches since 1978. He says the average seat width has dropped from 18.5 inches in the 1990s to about 17 inches today.
The bill follows a Hawaii state Senate resolution on the same topic that passed in March.
30 responses to “Schatz calls for minimum seat sizes on airplanes”
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Maybe we should also have standards for maximum okole sizes as well.
The airlines are selling space on their plane. Someone the size of a sumo wrestler takes up more space than an average sized person.
I think you mean minimum seat widths to accommodate fat okoles like those double wide wheelchairs you see in hospitals.
At 5’9″, 115 I slide in quite easily. But that said, I think that the free market should decide what passengers will or will not tolerate in air service.
While I believe we all agree that the leg room and seat sizes have shrunk — TEN senators co-sponsored the bill. And all are up for reelection this year–gotta get on the band wagon.
FAA needs to consider the time it would take passengers to exit their seats in an emergency if they are packed-in too tight. Samoa Air sets airfares by the weight of the passenger.
Then they better start we with the size of their flight crews! One them fall. Nobody getting out. Burning to death hurts.
like fat cops… Can’t run so they shoot you.
Maybe those being chased should think about why they are being chased in the first place.
Pilots get annual physicals and weight is one of the disqualifiers.
what about flight attendants….. Airmen should be fit…..so they can fit through the cockpit window.
If it passes all the airlines will do is raise their prices!! From November/2015 to November/2016 Hawaiian raised their prices to more than double from coach to first class to the mainland. If you book it online they’ve changed it so now you see the round trip numbers instead of booking them separately. First, they’re trying to fool the public with this deception and second, they claim “supply and demand” for the increase. This is really sickening!!
What you fail to understand is all the airlines, except for SouthWest, are already charging excessive fees for actions that cost them pennies. Such as the $100/200 or more ticket change fee. Airlines can easily resell the seat yet the whine they are losing money.
If SouthWest can do it for free, so can they. Then again, SouthWest has professional, caring management while all the others just have over paid, clueless, bureaucrats in charge.
Set minimum seat standards and require any airline changing a seat arrangement to redo the FAA Emergency Aircraft Evacuation test at their cost. Airlines have no real concern for passenger safety. Just pay their high prices, take your shoddy seat, shut up, stay in your seat, do as you are told. Really?
What is it with you people against the profit motive? Who are you to say that the prices the airlines are charging are “excessive?” They sell a service for a profit, period. Minimum seat standards are absolutely ridiculous, and airplanes in all configurations already have to pass FAA evacuation minimums. Airline safety has increased dramatically post-deregulation.
The problem is really the consumer – by caring for nothing but price, you bring this on yourself. It forces the airlines’ hand. If you were willing to pay for a different class of service, we would not have skinny seats and tight spaces. But being nothing but price-conscious you have brought this on yourself.
Southwest has built – in pricing scheme, it’s not free. Most of the time, they’re not the lowest priced nor the most convenient way to fly (especially longer distances) as they do not fly direct but have stopovers to maximize their load. As for your characterization of other airlines as “uncaring”, that’s total BS as no business can stay competitive, especially in the airline business, if you totally disregard the consumer. I generally fly United or Hawaiian but I don’t rule out any others, if the price is right for a chosen destination. What is forgotten in all this is that cost of flying is cheaper now than ever. If you want additional comfort and amenities, be willing to pay for it instead of grumbling about it and yet choosing the cheapest fares. It’s like expecting a gourmet meal for cheap take out price. Sorry folks, it don’t work that way nor should it.
And yet another post with bureaucrat in it…I will say I am impressed that you can find a way to include it every time. Although I am disappointed you did not use “willful” this time around.
What a used care salesman this guy is, so the motley crew that has us in over $19 trillion in debt wants to tell successful businesses how they should seat people. As others have said, the prices will just go up and once again the very people this group tries to help gets screwed over, just like minimum wage. Promises, promises, we’re selling dreams here!
The best way to improve our airlines service is to allow our international airline partners to enter and serve the US market without the current restrictions. At present international carriers cannot carry US passengers, between 2 US cites. Example – Honolulu and Las Vegas. Change this rule and the quality of airline services will definitely improve.
Competition is the best motivation for better services and products.
Disagree, there’s already good competition with carriers out there. Adding international carriers isn’t going to do much as they’ll generally not the lowest cost flyers and it would be foolhardy for them to fly into smaller markets. They already fly into all major cities and they’re not about to waste their time and effort with smaller markets. Besides, they all have code sharing agreement with US carriers anyway so it’s not an issue.
Why not let the market decide? Great idea R2G as competition always does lead to a better product. Why do we let the politicians keep foreign airlines away, give them the option and we the consumer can sort them out.
This is what Schatz has been doing? Wonderful. How about he scrap this proposal and focus on a bill that requires obese people to pay more for larger seats made specifically for them. Why penalize everyone for the unhealthy lifestyles of the rest of the nation? Planes should have a couple rows of seats dedicated for larger passengers.
pj737…You are very brave behind of a key board.
agree with pj737…what you going do about his comment…. Nothing…..
Absolutely right pj737. If people want to be fat they have to realize there is a price to be paid. I, as a fit person, should not have to subsidize someone else’s unhealthy lifestyle.
Ah don’t cha love election years?
And still not a peep out of anyone about getting the money back for COFA. All of them useless.
COMPETITION. Bring in competition for both Hawaiian Airlines and Young Brothers and Hawaii will automatically be a better state for all of us to live. Believe me now and trust me later.
Schatz has a poor understanding of how the marketplace works, by having the government interfere, things are bound to get worse, because there are always unintended consequences. The marketplace solves the problem, if people stop using airlines that make seats smaller and smaller, then they will stop doing this. But the consumer has to vote with their feet or backside, and we need to vote out lightweights like Schatz.
With all the BS going on in the world…this donkey is focusing on airplane seats? Get rid of this Id10T
Airlines should charge based on total weight a passenger brings on board (including luggage). It should be based on a set charge for a weight up to 200 pounds then additional charge for every 25 pounds above that, with the charge getting progressively higher for each additional 25 pound so that the cost doubles at 400 pounds. This way, it basically makes an individual with high weight buy two seats, which is perfectly fair given that they take up that much space and weight anyway.